International Women's Day 2024: Five Sportspersons, Past And Present, Who Inspire In Every Walk Of Life

March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day across the globe and it is a day when women from all walks of life are honoured. (More Sports News)

The world of sports has seen many outstanding international female athletes take the field and make it all their own. Be it cricket, tennis, motorsports or any other discipline, these women weren't (or aren't) fazed by the competition and were willing to give their all to take numero uno honours.

On International Women's Day, we take a look at five female sportspersons who have changed the game with every match they play on the field.

Brazil national women's football team player Marta is a legend in her country. The veteran footballer has already earned six World Player Of The Year awards and is called as 'Queen Marta' back in Brazil. In a country where football was illegal for women in the mid-1980s, Marta has emerged to be one of the first female superstars in football from Brazil. She eventually bid goodbye to the sport after their 0-0 draw in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 game against Jamaica. The 38-year-old played in six World Cups and her best moment came in 2007 where Brazil finished as runners-up to Germany. She has twice won medals at the Olympic Games, taking silver at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

It's not very often that a young female athlete inspires a whole generation of sportspersons. America's Simone Biles is a four-time Olympic champion from Rio 2016 but withdrew from the Tokyo event and took a two-year break from gymnastics for mental health issues. Her return was filled with medals galore, including four gold at the World Championships. With the Paris Olympics 2024 around the corner, it will be a foolish idea to write off Biles.

An undisputed legend of the game, Billie Jean King has inspired a host of female and male players in the field of tennis. She racked up 39 Grand Slam titles, that included 12 in singles and 16 in mixed doubles. However, her main fight came off the court where she fought for equal rights for men and women in tennis. Her continuous efforts led her to become the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in prize money in 1971. In the current scheme of things, Billie Jean King advocates women and LBGTQ equality.

What is a woman referee doing in men's game? Well, try asking that question to French official Stephanie Frappart, who became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup game between Costa Rica and Germany in the 2022 edition. Though it was not Frappart's first record. In 2021, she had become the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup qualifying match, when she took charge of the Netherlands against Latvia. Frappart became the first woman to charge of a World Cup game in the competition's 92-year history.

Former India women's cricket team captain Diana Edulji was the first woman cricketer from the country to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame alongside World Cup-winners Virender Sehwag and Aravinda de Silva. Back in the 1970s, cricket was mostly dominated by the men but Edulji proved it all wrong as she led the national team in 1978. In 1983, she was awarded India's then greatest sports honour, the Arjuna Award, and then in 2002 was awarded the civilian honour of Padma Shri. Edulji was also appointed in the BCCI administration panel by the Supreme Court of India on 30th January 2017. She also became the first woman to be appointed in the BCCI selection panel.